So this is Rhitta, an unusual axe in the Seven Deadly Sins and this is the last Sin, the Sin of Pride, the Lion: Escanor. This guy's like a walking, talking power-up. Even his personality would be like riding a roller-coaster—timid, nearly shy at night, and then full throttle, ego-driven powerhouse during the day.
So here we have Escanor, the ultimate badass with an insane power level depending on the time of day, and his signature weapon, Rhitta, which happens to be a Divine Axe. She's his Sacred Treasure. So, what’s the story behind the axe and how did Escanor get his hands on it to begin with? Here’s the lore of Rhitta, Escanor’s Sacred Treasure.
Rhitta’s Craftsmanship
Rhitta is a pretty special weapon. It's a what now, a crescent moon-shaped greataxe? That's already pretty weird right off the bat. It's got weight imbalances, so it's kind of awkward to wield. It seems almost as if it were designed to be the most impractical thing ever—like, it's some kind of challenge.
So what makes Rhitta special, besides being this really heavy, weirdly-shaped axe? How did he even come upon it?
How Escanor Got His Hands on Rhitta
So, anyway, there was this king, right? He had a vision about these seven super-strong knights who were going to save the kingdom. These are, of course, the Seven Deadly Sins, as we know. Who made Teddy's axe, though? As far as we know, it was crafted by Dubs, a master giant blacksmith, which explains the insane weight and size.
Anyway, Bartra had this stash of super-powerful weapons called Sacred Treasures. Nobody really knows where they came from, but when Bartra picked out the Seven Deadly Sins, he gave each of them one of these weapons. That is how Escanor got Rhitta.
Only Escanor Is Powerful Enough To Wield Rhitta
There is this epic moment, right when we get to see Escanor. Appear he might, but this boorish being, wrestling around with the big axe of his, Galand by name, at Escanor's place, and in comes Escanor, casually taking the axe from Galand and telling him that people who writhe in the dark do not deserve to wield Rhitta.
The axe is Rhitta. He says it is similar to a battle-axe that the sun loves. He even says it is named after some young maiden.
Rhitta Is Incredibly Heavy
Rhitta is no ordinary war axe, hence the fact that it is so heavy that even Galand has had difficulty lifting it. For all its massive size and weight, its handle is actually quite short. This is almost as if the weapon had been made with defying logic on purpose. But, all is well; when you're as strong as Escanor, logic does not really matter.
Rhitta's no joke either, it's holy metal, ya know. It is the heaviest Sacred Treasure and even outweighs Diane's giant hammer Gideon in weight; that's over 2000 pounds!
Even Meliodas, who isn't weak, finds it bothersome. He can barely lift it, so he has to drag it around like a sled. He doesn't really care, though—it's like he's holding a feather. Casual one-hand swings of this monster, crunching everything in his way. Mind-boggling.
Rhitta’s Special Ability
Rhitta acts as a huge heatsink for Escanor's powers. The more power he's brimming with, the hotter he gets. Think of it: the sun, all focused into a single entity. Rhitta absorbs buckets of this energy, stopping the world from just melting.
But even Rhitta has its limits. With each day that passed and his power grew, the battle axe would fight. By noon, it's reaching its limit, which is why Escanor must find an empty space for a release.
Holy Ornament Release!
His axe is actually a portable power hand-in, in that it sips in the insane amount of energy coming out of Escanor's body during that time. Then, as he's just going to unleash hell, he screams, "Holy Ornament Release!," and in a huge burst of light and heat, Rhitta explodes. It's so intense that it looks like a second sun in the sky!
Rhitta’s Design Was Wrong In The Manga
And here's another enigmatic yet weird fact about the Rhitta: it wasn't until the first time we found it embedded in the manga that the handle was faced wrong. It's almost like the dude made a boo-boo or maybe wanted to become too creative and got off-tangent in the process.
I mean, they fixed it later again, but it's still this small, hilarious little detail that one thinks of and the creative process that must go into something like this.
Escanor Can Call Upon Rhitta
During the day, Escanor's power rages like a beast, but at night, he turns into the smallest little glow worm that can't even hurt a fly. In fact, he stands among the weakest of characters in the series when it is night. So really, he had to leave Rhitta at night.
So how does he manage to use this massive, super-heavy axe that Rhitta is—when he's weak as a kitten at night? Well, he's got a trick up his sleeve. He can call Rhitta to him no matter where he is. It's sort of like having a personal teleportation device for your weapon. That's terribly important, especially when you're out to face a giant monster, and you need your trusty axe ASAP.
Zeldris Managed To Damage Rhitta
Remember that crazy fight between Escanor and Zeldris in Chapter 289? It was epic! Zeldris tried to trap Escanor in this super-powered magic bubble—he passed through it like it was air!
Then, Escanor went all out with his Divine Axe trying to defeat Zeldris. But Zeldris was super strong, and he actually managed to damage the axe! A piece of the axe broke off—off of the divine sacred treasure. So, Escanor didn’t want to further damage the axe and just kept up the fighting without it.
The axe from its bizarre design to its insane weight is part and parcel of the Seven Deadly Sins lore, just like any character in that story. Let's be honest: without Rhitta, the story would not be half as epic.
Who knows what other secrets this legendary weapon holds? Maybe there are some tricks and secrets that Escanor has yet to show us.
